This undated illustration provided by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) shows EP240904a, an exceptionally faint X-ray burst within the Milky Way captured by China's astronomical satellite Einstein Probe in September 2024. [Photo/Chinese Academy of Sciences handout via Xinhua]

China on Wednesday released reports on global research hotspots and emerging frontiers in 2025 and selected 128 research frontiers that have performed actively or developed rapidly during this year.

The two reports, jointly issued by the Institutes of Science and Development, the National Science Library, both under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the global analytics firm Clarivate, seek to analyze major frontier scientific breakthroughs that may influence the world's future development, and support China's national strategy for sci-tech innovation.

The research frontiers cover fields such as agricultural science, botany and zoology, ecology and environmental science, Earth science, clinical medicine, biological science, chemistry and materials science, physics, astronomy and astrophysics, mathematics, information science, economics, psychology and other social sciences.

"As a new round of sci-tech revolution flourishes, the frontiers of scientific research continue to evolve. The reports raise new questions and challenges for the integrated development of technology, economy, society, and various other fields," said Pan Jiaofeng, president of the Institutes of Science and Development.